Diagnosis

Crohn's Disease

Discussion

Crohn's disease also known as regionalenteritis, is a chronic, episodic, inflammatory bowel disease that affects any part of the intestinal tract from the mouth to the anus. It affects between 400,000 and 600,000 people in North America. Crohn's disease tends to present initially in the teens and twenties, with another peak incidence in the fifties to seventies. The cause of Crohn's disease is not known, however it is believed to be an autoimmune disease that is genetically linked. Gastroenterologists classify the disease by the affected areas. Ileocolic Crohn's disease affects the ileum and large intestines and accounts for 50% of cases. Crohn's ileitis affecting only the ileum, accounts for 30% of cases, and Crohn's colitis, affecting the large intestines, accounts for 20% of cases. Individuals affected by Crohn's rarely fall outside of these 3 classifications.